


Mistress of the Seas

by WhenLifeGivesYouLemons



Series: Mistress Claus [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cruise Ship, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Daddy Kink, Did you know fluff has healing powers, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Petsa, Secret Relationship, Stark family of errors, University aged Sansa, creepyship, uncle petyr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-12-31 04:20:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12124380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenLifeGivesYouLemons/pseuds/WhenLifeGivesYouLemons
Summary: Petyr and Sansa have hidden their relationship from the rest of the family since last Christmas. But will a family vacation onboard 'The Mistress of the Seas' during Sansa's midterm break tear their relationship apart?





	1. The Call

“Hi Mom!” Sansa grinned as her mother’s face appeared on the computer screen, with the familiar backdrop of the Stark’s living room at Winterfell. She paused to push her pillow up against the headboard of her bed, leaning against it and propping her laptop on her knees.

“Hello sweetie!” Cat replied, the endearment slipping automatically from her lips, an old habit that wouldn’t fade despite half her children being grown adults. “How’s the semester going?”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Sansa sighed. “I’ve been studying for my economics test all week… I think when midterm break arrives I’m going to have to spend the first three days sleeping!”

“Sounds exhausting!” Cat gave her a sympathetic smile. “Surely not all your classes are that hard?”

“Oh no, not at all, I’m taking an outdoor fitness class, which is great because its just fun activities like sailing and rock climbing but it counts as credit… and a course on human sexuality which is awesome…”

“What?! Sansa!” Cat interjected.

“Mom! It’s a respected academic discipline! Don’t be so old-fashioned,” Sansa said with a laugh.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Cat rolled her eyes, an expression Sansa realized she had inherited. “It’s just, its strange to think of you being all grown up… second year of university… and we don’t get to see you nearly often enough,” she finished with a small smile.

Sansa smiled back. “I know.”

“Actually… that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to call… you haven’t made any big plans for your midterm break, have you?”

“Erm… not – big, exactly” Sansa replied hesitantly. Her eyes flicked quickly up from her laptop before looking at the screen again. She actually did have some… ideas… of what she wanted to do with her week off, but they were not ideas she could share with her mother.

“Well, it just so happens that your Dad’s work was having a contest and he won… the prize is for a group of ten to go on a cruise to the Summer Isles…”

“A cruise!!”

“…And, well the cruise is during your break so I thought it would be nice for the whole family to go…”

“Oh…” Sansa tried not to let her voice betray her. While it would be nice to see her family (she had only managed to make a quick trip up North during the summer semester), she couldn’t help but feel a bit too old for a ‘family vacation’.

“…unfortunately, Jon can’t come because he will be working in the North, but we had three extra spots so I invited Lysa and her family…”

“Wait… you what?!” Sansa’s gaze flew from her laptop to look incredulously at the other end of her bed, where it was met with those green eyes and a trademark smirk that only grew at her surprise. She felt a smile spread across her face and shook her head imperceptibly before returning to her laptop, hoping her mother hadn’t noticed her lapse in attention.

“Yes, I know, your Aunt Lysa is an… interesting character… but it was so nice of her and Petyr to have the family over for Christmas and I wanted to repay the favour… who knows, perhaps for once we’ll actually start to spend more time together. So, what do you say? I know you’re not a kid anymore but there will be lots to do on the cruise, its not a generic family vacation of you having to stick with your parents all the time… although of course I’d love to see you,” Cat said with a twinkle in her eye, and though it was light-hearted, Sansa knew she meant it.

“Of course! How could I say no to a cruise?” Sansa replied with a grin. “Count me in!”

“I’m so, so glad honey,” her mother smiled back. “I’ll email you all the details. The cruise leaves King’s Landing next Saturday, so we’ll be driving down, but I’ve already asked Lysa if she and Petyr could pick you up.”

“Sounds perfect,” Sansa grinned. “I’m not sure how I’m going to concentrate on studying knowing I’ll be on a cruise in just over a week!”

Cat laughed. “Well, you better figure out a way… I’m not responsible for any bad grades! Now, get back at it, I need to go get Rickon into bed.”

“Alright, Mom. Thanks for calling. And I’ll see you next week!”

“Goodnight, sweetie,” Cat blew a kiss, before the call disconnected.

Sansa closed her laptop and, reaching over, found a spot for it on her desk beside the bed. Her dorm room was typically lacking in space, but it was cozy. Just enough room to comfortably fit herself... and one other.

She crossed her arms and tried to glare at the person sitting across from her, languidly leaning his back against the wardrobe at the foot of her bed. The person whose presence was still a thrilling novelty, despite the visits that had become the norm for almost a year.

“You knew,” she accused him. “And you didn’t say _anything._ ”

Petyr’s eye’s danced as he met her gaze. “I didn’t want to ruin the surprise,” he grinned, seeming overly pleased with himself.

She raised her eyebrows, but could feel her façade slipping as the excitement began to hit her. She – _and Petyr_ – were going on a cruise. They had discussed spending time together over the break, although Sansa had been anticipating she would have to visit her family for at least part of her time off. She had been worried that a week wouldn’t be enough time to do either justice, and now this cruise came along, and Petyr was coming too, and it was perfect, so perfect, it was almost as if he could have…

Sansa laughed and shook her head, grinning at Petyr before launching forward onto her hands and knees to crawl towards him. Her twin bed was small, and they were soon face to face, with his legs stretched out below her and his hands running up and down her arms.

“So… a contest at work?” she said, quirking her eyebrow quizzically. “Did you enter?”

“Of course not, sweetling – as the Baratheon Company’s Head of Finance, I was in charge of collecting all the entries.”

“And choosing the winner?”

“It was a random draw,” Petyr said smoothly, but Sansa sensed the hint of mischief.

“I think you have a different definition of random than the rest of the world, Petyr,” she teased, and she let him pull her close until she was sitting on his lap.

He chuckled, his breath warm against her neck. “To them, it appeared random… that’s all that matters, isn’t it? They get to live by their rules, and I live by mine.”

Just his voice, low beside her ear, was making her breath start to catch in her chest. She ran her hands over his shoulders, before gently clasping them behind his neck. “What are your rules, then?” she asked breathlessly.

She felt one of his hands leave her side where it had been gliding up and down, and soon it was gently cupping her chin, pulling her face to meet his. She stared into his dark green eyes for a moment before he drew her into a kiss. He moved his lips slowly, dizzyingly, and Sansa felt herself melt into him before he pulled away.

“Just one,” Petyr whispered against her cheek, and Sansa found herself struggling to remember what they had been discussing. She sighed as he began to trail light kisses across her jaw, his lips pausing only when they were below her ear again. “Take charge of your life,” he breathed, so quiet she strained to hear. “Take charge of your life for as long as it lasts.”

He gave her one last gentle kiss before he lifted her up, slowly pushing her back until she was laying on the bed with him on top. His lips returned to hers with a fervour, and when Sansa felt his tongue push inside her mouth she wholeheartedly returned the favour. As his kisses moved to her neck she reached down to unbutton his shirt, but before her fingers could finish their task he suddenly grabbed her wrists and pinned them to either side of her head. He looked down at her, disheveled and smirking, with a glint in his eyes. “Wait, Sansa - aren’t you supposed to be studying?”

“What – no!” Sansa squirmed a little bit before glaring at him, the intended effect ruined by her panting.

“I distinctly remember your mother telling you not to get any bad grades,” he replied slyly. “I wouldn’t want to stop my good girl from doing well in her studies.”

Petyr pressed his body on top of hers, chuckling as Sansa groaned when she felt his hardness pushing against her.

“Petyr, please…” Sansa complained, trying to move to spur him on, but he had her pinned down completely.

“Please, what, sweetling? What kind of an uncle would I be if I prevented you from studying?”

“Please don’t stop… you’re not preventing me… it would be like… like a mental break… its like exercise there’s endorphins and stuff…”

“Oh, so it would _help_ your studying, is that what you’re saying?” Petyr grinned, and leaned in even closer. “Well in that case, I wouldn’t want to do get in the way of those good grades.”

With that, his lips returned to hers, before slowly trailing down her neck, her chest, her stomach, and lower… and Sansa could imagine they were already on a ship, the two of them, just the two of them against the world.


	2. The Drive

Sansa walked as fast as she could through the Economics building, scooting around last minute studiers and partiers alike, with her red hair falling out of its ponytail and flowing behind her. She was carrying her textbook although she knew she had slept in too late to have a chance to look at it before her exam, but it was more for comfort than anything, as she had felt empty running out of her dorm with just a pen and her phone.

She turned the last corner before the exam hall and was greeted by her class standing in the hallway, waiting to be let inside – she breathed a sigh of relief as she realized she wasn’t late after all. Sansa reached up to brush some stray hairs from her face, before noticing her friend Margaery out of the corner of her eye, and going to join her.

“Cutting it a bit close, aren’t you Sansa?” Margaery gave her a teasing smile.

“Yeah, I forgot to set an alarm,” Sansa replied sheepishly. Once she had felt confident enough to stop studying, she had run around her dorm room doing last minute packing for the cruise. Thinking of her suitcase sitting by her door waiting for her once this exam was done gave her a jolt of excitement.

“Too stoked for that cruise, huh?” Margaery laughed, a light sound that was effortlessly elegant. Sansa always admired how poised Margaery was. “I’m still so jealous, you're going to come back so tanned and relaxed, and I’m stuck here running everything…” Margaery was head of the undergraduate social committee, which had planned a week of social events for those students who were still on campus during the break. Margaery rolled her eyes, but Sansa knew that she loved it – she was a natural leader and a social butterfly.

Just then the doors to the exam room opened, and the crowd of students began to shuffle forward as they braced themselves for what waited inside. As they gradually moved forward Sansa pulled out her phone to turn it to silent, and saw she had a message waiting for her - _Good luck today sweetling. I’ll pick you up at 3. And remember, knowledge is power._ Sansa felt her face break out into a smile, and a surge of confidence flooded through her. She’d ace this, and then be off to be with Petyr.

“That the boyfriend?” Margaery gave Sansa a knowing smile, peeking over her shoulder. “Is he going on the cruise too?”

“Ummm… yeah, he is,” Sansa flushed. Margaery was her best friend, but all she had told Margaery was that she had a boyfriend who was an older man, and that her parents didn’t know. She refused to even tell Margaery his name, much to her friend’s endless chagrin. And certainly, she was not going to tell her that he was her uncle by marriage. But Margaery was perceptive, she always _knew_ , and Sansa was sure that if this cruise went anything close to how she hoped it would, Margaery would be able to tell that Sansa had had some ‘quality time’ over the break, so it was no use trying to hide it now.

“Wow – really?” her friend raised her eyebrows. “Your parents are letting you bring him on a family trip – so you told them?”

Sansa sighed. “Not exactly…”

They had time for Margaery to give her a quizzical look before they had to separate and head to their seats for the exam. Sansa put her textbook and phone under her chair, then sat up and took a deep breath. The situation with Petyr and her family was always at the back of her mind, and it was so easy during the school year to just forget that there was any reason for them to be secretive at all… but she had a sneaking suspicion that hiding their relationship on the cruise would bring all her worries to the forefront again.

She watched the professor begin to hand out exams, and took another deep breath, trying to push those thoughts from her mind. _Now is not the time_ , she reminded herself. She closed her eyes and repeated the studying mantra Petyr had given her, promising her that it had gotten him through his years at university.

She faintly heard the professor at the front of the class say, “Begin!”, and she picked up her pen and opened her eyes to the exam sitting in front of her.

_Knowledge is power_.

 

Sansa sat on the curb outside dorm building, phone tapping impatiently against her knee. Her suitcase was beside her with jacket hanging on top – despite being a decent amount of time into fall, the weather was still warm as far south as King’s Landing, and she wore only a white tank top and jeans. She felt giddy with impatience and excitement, the stress of her exam long forgotten… all she needed now was Petyr to arrive to whisk her off to a week of paradise.

Just when she was considering calling him to interrogate the bastard on what in seven hells was taking him so long, she saw Petyr’s gleaming silver sedan turn the corner. Sansa smiled – Petyr took pride in his expensive taste, and she couldn’t deny that she loved it too.

The car rolled to a stop a couple of feet from where she was sitting, and Sansa jumped to her feet, unable to contain her excitement. When Petyr finally stepped out of the car she bombarded him with a hug, wishing she could do more… but Petyr Baelish was a well-known face, and all it would take is one pair wandering eyes to recognize the Baratheon Company’s Head of Finance making out with a college student (never mind the fact that she was in fact his niece) instead of his wife for their secret (and, somewhat less concerning to Sansa, his career) to be ruined. So for now, an exuberant hug, and a whispered “I missed you” in his ear, was all she could give – and in return, he wrapped her in his arms, kissed her on the forehead in a way that was passably innocent and paternal to any curious onlookers, and whispered back, “I missed you too, sweetling”.

When they pulled apart, they shared a look that spoke all the words that were left unsaid, and Sansa smiled before Petyr broke it, glancing over to Sansa’s suitcase. He smirked, and lightly teased, “are you even going to be able to lift that thing? Looks like you packed half the clothes on campus”.

Sansa rolled her eyes – her suitcase was packed full, the expanders already in full use, but only because she liked being prepared. A cruise needed outfits for every occasion: hanging out by the pool, going to nice dinners, day excursions on land… and, well, a few night activities that she was hoping to do. It was like trying to fit multiple vacations into one suitcase.

“You forget I’ve been taking that physical fitness class,” she sweetly chided him, picking up her suitcase and raising her eyebrows at him until her moved to open the trunk of the car. She leaned back so that she had some leverage, and swung the heavy luggage into the back of Petyr’s car. A triumphant smile crossed her face as she turned to gloat at Petyr that she was in the right this time, only to find him leaning against the car, dark eyes watching her with his trademark smirk.

“Oh, I didn’t forget.” His eyes roamed over her arms and chest, all too visible thanks to the tank top she had chosen, and Sansa felt herself blush. Somehow, even with a relationship that had been going strong for almost a year, he still had that effect on her.

But they were still on campus, and Petyr was pushing the limits of what was discrete… so she only shook her head and laughed at him, walking around the car to sit in the front seat. Petyr followed her cue and joined her, starting the engine and beginning their drive, but not without sneaking sidelong glances at her at regular intervals.

They sat in tense silence as they drove along the long stretch of highway, both struggling to keep their desire in check, and Sansa had the fleeting thought that this would be a long hour’s drive if it was like this the entire way to Petyr and Lysa’s house. They were due to make a quick stop to pick Petyr’s family before heading off to catch the cruise ship at Blackwater Bay.

She eventually decided to turn on the air conditioning to try and feel less hot and bothered, and once it got going it did help a bit, soothing the flush that had crept up to her face. She felt her breathe begin to slow and her heartbeat relaxed into a steady rhythm. Sansa sighed in relief and began to close her eyes, feeling the cold air rush over her. She’d thrown her jacket in the trunk, and soon she had goosebumps forming on the bare skin of her arms, so she absentmindedly ran her hands up her arms to warm them just a touch.

Her eyes flew open when she thought she heard Petyr make a sound, but when she looked across at him his eyes were focused on the road, and she began to think she had just imagined it. She closed her eyes again, feeling the late nights of studying catching up with her, and wrapped her arms around herself, settling into a doze.

Soon, Sansa felt the car beginning to slow, and figured she must have really slept if they were arriving at Petyr and Lysa’s already – but when she opened her eyes, they were pulling off the highway and into a tree-lined viewpoint looking out over the bay. Petyr put the car in park, and Sansa looked at him in confusion.

“Petyr, what..?” was all she managed to say, before he leaned over, pulling her face into his, kissing her deeply, hungrily. Sansa grew lightheaded just trying to match his lips, his tongue with her own. Finally she put a hand on his chest, pushing him back just enough inches for her to catch her breath.

“Petyr, what are you doing? We have to get to the cruise terminal…”

He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I couldn’t wait any longer… I just had to have you,” he said huskily, in that voice he knew she always fell for. He undid his seatbelt and sidled as far over as the front seat would allow, and his lips found hers again, gentler this time. He ran one of his hands through her hair and the other wrapped around her waist in an attempt to bring her body closer to his.

Sansa couldn’t… didn’t want to resist. She had begun to think that maybe the cruise leaving without them wasn’t so terrible after all, if it meant she got left behind with Petyr… then she remembered that if they missed the ship, Lysa and Robin would as well, and she could imagine nothing worse than having to spend a week with an angry aunt who would undoubtedly take every opportunity to antagonize the niece who caused her to miss a luxury cruise. And she didn’t even want to think about how angry her mother would be if she messed up her grand scheme of getting the entire family together.

Sansa sighed as Petyr’s lips started trailing down her neck, savouring a few last seconds knowing she was going to have to end it. “We’re going to be late, Petyr,” she finally said softly, her breath catching in her throat, lightly pushing on his chest again to let him know she was serious.

He groaned, but pulled back, looking into her eyes. He was panting, needy, and desperate, and Sansa couldn’t help but feel a small part of her relish in the fact that she could make him feel this way. She smirked, and leaned up to give him a chaste kiss on the forehead, as he so often did for her. “I promise, we will find a way to pick up where we left off once we’re on that ship.”

“I’ll hold you to that, sweetling,” he sighed as he settled back in his own seat and started the car. As they drove back to the highway, Sansa watched him run a hand over his face, following the gesture with another groan. “This is going to be more difficult than I anticipated.”

“What is?” she asked, curious.

“Well, the problem is, I can’t stand seeing you without my hands all over you,” he glanced away from the road long enough to shoot her a wicked grin. She thought he had looked away again before she inevitably blushed, but his laugh told her that he at least guessed at the effect his words had on her. “But seriously, we’re going to have to be careful once we’re around your family on the cruise.”

“And Lysa,” Sansa added, and he nodded slowly in reply. They drove in silence for a while, each mulling over the complicated scenario that they were willingly walking into.

“It’ll be fine,” Sansa broke the silence as they took the exit that lead to Petyr and Lysa’s house. “We managed at Christmas, and a ship is much bigger, it’s not like the family will be together all the time… we’ll make it work.”

Petyr smiled at her, and took one hand off the steering wheel to reach out to her. “I love you,” he said, eyes still on the road.

Sansa put her hand in his and watched their entwined fingers as she ran her thumb across the back of his palm. “I love you too,” she replied, and she realized she had never meant anything more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can promise that using 'Knowledge is power' as a mantra for all your studying needs is legit what got me through grad school. That shit works. I can only imagine it would work even better if Petyr texts it to you as encouragement right before a test ;)
> 
> So... Petyr and Sansa are in pretty deep, eh? I wanted to show where their relationship has gone since we left them at Christmas. Also I just love writing fluff :D It'll only mean interesting things for their relationship once they get on board the cruise!


	3. The Ship

The sight of the cruise ship gleaming in the sun, surrounded by sparkling blue water, was like a vision out of a dream – not least due to the fact that since they’d picked up Lysa and Robin, the last leg of their trip had become significantly more grating. Sansa had been delegated to the back seat, trying to keep Robin calm as he repeatedly lost the game he was playing on his iPad, but Petyr didn’t have it much better. Lysa had not stopped talking since she got in the car, even though Petyr showed minimal interest in what she was saying. Sansa felt that the only the brief moments when she caught Petyr’s eye in the rearview mirror were all that kept her sane.

But finally, it was over, and as she stepped out of the car and into the parking lot, she couldn’t help but stare at the ship in awe. Its white walls were blinding in the sun, the windows stacked in countless rowa reflecting the water below. It looked like paradise.

Despite the sun, the marine air was cool, and Sansa shrugged on her jacket before lifting her suitcase out of the trunk. If Petyr had thought her luggage was unnecessarily large, Lysa’s was something else. A horrid pale pink that reminded Sansa of medicine, it was easily twice the size of her own. Sansa watched with disdain as Lysa made Petyr carry it, so he had to roll hers behind while he pushed his own modest black one in front while they made their way to the boarding area. For some reason, that simple action made her tense with anger, even though she knew Petyr was an expert at controlling Lysa and likely only submitted in the interest of time. Still, she hated seeing Lysa treat Petyr like he was… well, hers.

Sansa walked a bit behind with Robin, silently judging her aunt’s overly gaudy attempts at cruise fashion (why anyone needed that much jewelry, or such a large sunhat, she had no idea) before realizing that she was, in fact, overwhelmed wit jealousy. She almost laughed at the thought – she knew Petyr wanted her, _loved_ her, and felt nothing for his wife… but right now it was her aunt that got to walk beside Petyr as a couple. The feeling was slightly foreign; during the school year, it was so easy to forget (or if not forget, conveniently ignore) that Petyr was splitting his time between her and his wife.

But she had made this decision with her eyes wide open – so Sansa sighed, following her aunt and uncle into the waiting room by the boarding area, turning around to make sure Robin was still with her. When she turned back, a smile overtook her face as she saw her family gathered at the other end of the room. She left her suitcase with the Baelishes, covered the distance between them, and barrelled into her parents from behind.

“Sansa!” she heard her father greet her as he enveloped her in a hug.

“It’s so good to see you guys!” Sansa replied as she turned to embrace her mother. 

“You too, sweetie,” Cat said with a warm smile. “Are Aunt Lysa and Uncle Petyr here as well?”

“Of course!” Sansa pointed to where she had left them, and saw they were making their way across the room, Petyr slightly ahead. Lysa had ended up pulling Sansa’s abandoned suitcase, something which Petyr had undoubtedly had a hand in, and which Sansa couldn’t help but feel was a small act of retribution.

“Cat, Ned, thanks for having us along,” Petyr said warmly once he arrived. His words were gracious but she could see in the mischievous glint in his eye, and the slightly upturned edges of his lips, that he was smugly enjoying seeing his master plan finally come together. She smirked and turned away so her parents wouldn’t see, but found herself locking eyes with Arya, who had apparently been standing right beside her.

“Hey, little sis,” Sansa tried to exude nonchalance, giving her sister a playful nudge on the shoulder. Arya was the only one who had discovered Petyr and Sansa’s Christmas fling, and since then Sansa had, well, led her to believe that things between her and Petyr had ended there.

Arya narrowed her eyes, a look that suited her. Always rebellious, her last year of high school had seemed to bring that side of her to the extreme, and she was currently pulling off an edgy punk look with confidence. But before she could respond, both of their attention was accosted as Lysa chose a much too inappropriate volume to greet her own sister.

“Catelyn, darling, I hope you packed a change of clothes for today? You certainly can’t go on the ship wearing that!” Lysa gestured extravagantly, and Cat had a slightly pained expression. Sansa could only imagine she was just now second-guessing her decision to invite the Baelishes to join them.

“Yes, well…” I’m sure everyone has their own tastes, Lysa,” Cat finally responded diplomatically. “Anyways, Ned and I have already checked us all in, so now that we’re all here we can head onboard.”

Sansa breathed a sigh of relief. She already needed a break from being around Lysa.

And with that, they were off, just your typical mismatched family of ten: some boisterous, some rebellious, some diplomatic… with history and unbreakable bonds and secrets. As they crossed the overhead walkway that led up to the ship, Sansa tried to view her family as an outsider would, and chuckled to herself – with a collection of crazy aunts, carefree children, and almost adult children just trying to maintain some semblance of cool, they looked completely ordinary.

“We are a rather odd bunch, aren’t we?” Sansa looked and saw Bran to her left, keeping pace beside her in his wheelchair. Evidently his thoughts had been parallel to her own.

“Wouldn’t change it for the world,” she winked at him, and they both grinned.

As they boarded the ship, Sansa took in her surroundings with amazement. This was obviously a luxury cruiseliner, and every inch looked high-end – it was all sparkling glass, golden railings, and spotless white walls. And to top it all off, it seemed the company hadn’t skimped when booking the rooms, as Sansa realized after several flights of stairs that their floor was second from the top, surely some of the nicest rooms on the ship. While her parents poured over a paper with room numbers on it, she looked up and noticed the great blue letters in an elegant cursive declaring the ship’s name on the wall above them: _Mistress of the Seas_.

"Rather an appropriate name, don’t you think?” Somehow Petyr had managed to position himself right behind her ear. She gasped and made to turn around, but Petyr lightly put a hand between her shoulder blades to stop her. “I keep thinking of all the fun we’re going to have, sweetling,” he whispered, his voice barely louder than a breath. Sansa felt her heart racing, and she anxiously looked around to make sure no one in the family was watching them. “Now I just need to decide, what to do first…?”

“Sansa!” she felt Petyr’s hand drop and she snapped back into focus to see Arya sticking her head out of one of the cabins. “Get in loser, this is our room.”

Sansa swallowed, and pulled her suitcase to the door, trying to subtly share one last look with Petyr, but he was already halfway down the hall with Lysa and Robin. She sighed, and stepped into her cabin, shutting the door behind her.

_Thwack!_ Sansa stumbled back as what she realized was a fluffy white pillow hit her square in the face. “Hey!” she yelled, louder than she intended. “What the hell was that for?”

“You _lied_ …!” Arya almost shouted, but then she checked herself and lowered her voice to a hiss. “You lied to me.”

“No, I didn’t,” Sansa coolly replied.

“You said that after Christmas, you stopped seeing Petyr,” Arya accused.

Sansa rolled her eyes. “Technically, I never said that explicitly… you implied it and I never corrected you.”

“You _idiot_ ,” Sansa ducked as another pillow came sailing at her, hitting the door instead. “A secret fling is one thing, but a secret long-term relationship?! He’s your uncle, seven hells!” Arya cursed. “I’m assuming no one else knows?”

“No, Arya, and they’re not going to find out,” Sansa glared at her sister. “Petyr and I are both adults, and it’s none of your business what we do.”

“Well, as it turns out, I think it is,” Arya retorted. “Because if someone is cheating on someone in my family with someone _else_ in my family, well, I think the family should know.” She paused, crossing her arms. _Damn her stubborn, noble ass_ , Sansa thought.

“Sansa, this family doesn’t keep secrets, especially not like this. You have to tell Mom and Dad.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”

“Yes, you do,” Arya continued, her eyes steely with resolve. “Because if you don’t tell them by the end of this trip, then I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit later than I meant to be posting this... so close though! Thanks for waiting! 
> 
> Last summer I worked downtown right beside the harbour where cruise ships would come in, and they really do look like paradise. I'd love to go on one someday! If there's one thing we know about paradise though, is that it's never quite like you imagine it will be ;)


	4. The Confrontation

Sansa tried to tell herself that it was the rocking of the waves, the darkness of unfamiliar and cramped surroundings, that had prevented her from going to sleep that first night on the cruise. But the reality was her mind was on overdrive, trying to play out all the ways that Arya could ruin her and Petyr’s relationship. Scenarios flying in circles around her head, it wasn’t until she finally dug out her phone in the early hours of the morning to text Petyr, _We need to talk_ , before she was finally able to relax and sleep. Petyr would know what to do.

Sansa woke with a start as the cabin door slammed, and as she looked around the empty room she realized Arya must have left for breakfast without her. She groaned and rubbed her eyes – she didn’t even want to think about how many hours she had actually managed to sleep. She threw on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, adding a hoodie as an afterthought, thinking of the cool morning marine air.

She stepped out of the cabin and blinked in the sun. Off in the distance, the ocean had a layer of mist that hid any nearby land, making it look like they were in the middle of nowhere. She grinned, just a hint of her excitement at the trip returning, and headed to the dining room, slightly more reassured with the fact that she was awake.

Each floor on the ship had its own dining room – so since her family took up almost half of this floor, they took up almost half the dining room as well. And, Sansa realized as she looked around at the chaos of a breakfast buffet, Lysa hadn’t even arrived yet… and surely her addition would make any others guests using this room begin to regret what they had gotten themselves into. The Starks had pushed several tables together so that they were in a long row next to the windows in an attempt to be somewhat out of the way, but the exuberance of Rickon and Robin, the youngest children, and of course the exaggerated story-telling of Arya as she entertained Robb and Bran, made the attempt mostly futile.

Sansa quietly made her way over to the buffet, too exhausted to deal with her family just yet, and picked up a plate, scanning down the table to see what her best options were. The food nearest her was all boringly healthy, oatmeal and tasteless-looking cereal, and she pursed her lips in disappointment.

“So you wanted to talk?” she heard Petyr question softly behind her. She turned to see him picking up a plate as well, and smiled – he wore a muted blue t-shirt with dark shorts and sandals, his hair ruffled and face unshaven. It was a casual look for him, obviously in vacation mode, and a year ago, he might have fooled her. She knew now, though, that he put as much thought (and money) into his casual clothes as he did his business attire. Still, the knowledge didn’t ruin the effect… he looked soft, and relaxed, and undeniably handsome. When he met her eyes, though, she could see they held a trace of… concern? Apprehension? She nodded and stole a glance at her family, mostly seated at the table, to try and get a sense of how much she could get away with saying.

Petyr noticed her glance and tilted his head further down the buffet, and she followed him, increasing the distance between them and the Starks. When she figured they were at a reasonable distance, she whispered, “Arya _knows_. About us."

He looked at her slightly quizzically, then she noticed a hint of a smirk cross his face before quickly disappearing. “Oh,” he replied, trying to sound concerned but failing. “That’s… too bad.”

“Petyr!” she hissed, glancing back at her family before leaning in to him once again. “This isn’t funny!”

Infuriatingly, he chuckled, and Sansa just glared at him. “It’s just, I was worried you were going to say something like we couldn’t see each other with your family around, or, I don’t know,” he laughed. “How long has she known?”

“Since… since Christmas,” Sansa was trying to keep control of the conversation but he was enjoying himself far too much. “Well, technically since Christmas but after that I kind of led her to believe that we had ended it…”

He cut her off, laughing again. “That’s my girl,” he winked, and Sansa silently fumed. 

“But she _knows_ again and this time she’s angry, she said she would tell at the end of this trip Petyr but nothing's stopping her from telling anyone sooner than that, and stop laughing, and, well I think you’re underestimating what she’s capable of,” she finished in a rush.

“Sansa,” he smiled at her, and though she desperately wanted to stay angry with him she felt her insides turn to jelly. “One of two things will happen. Either Arya will tell your parents at the end of this trip like she says she will, in which case, we had best take full advantage of the blissful ignorance of the rest of your family while we can; or, we find a way to take control of the situation. I, personally, feel pretty confident in my abilities to take on the latter scenario… however, I’m not ruling out the part where we take full advantage of your family’s knack for being oblivious,” he smirked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and she couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh.

“Fine, Petyr, when you put it like that” she chuckled, and smiled back at him. “So how do we take control of the situation then?”

“Oh, I’ll think of something,” he grinned. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course, you idiot,” Sansa laughed louder now, feeling like all her worries of the previous night had been wiped away.

“Good,” he smiled. “Then for now, how about we just focus on eating breakfast?”

Sansa looked down at the plate in her hands – somehow, Petyr had managed to fill it with all of her favourite things while they had been talking – waffles, bacon, strawberries, and even a cup of lemon yogurt. She looked back at him incredulously, her face beaming. It was the little things that really made her feel lucky to have him.

Sansa carried her plate back to the table, and sat beside Robb, with Petyr sitting across from her. “Sansa, you haven’t eaten yet?” her brother looked at her plate in shock. “Everyone else is already done!”

Looking down the table she saw he spoke the truth – except for Robin, who steadfastly was refusing Cat’s attempts to get him to finish his breakfast, and Lysa of course, who still was a no-show, everyone else was getting up to leave. Not that Sansa particularly minded, if it meant she could eat breakfast with Petyr.

“Better be quick – everyone’s headed to the pool!” Bran said to her as he left table.

“Everyone?” Sansa tried to ask, but he was already gone.

“Yes dear,” Cat replied, evidently having heard her over the clattering of plates and scraping chairs as everyone but Sansa and Petyr got up to go. “It’s the first day, we decided that we should spend it all together… Maybe if you’d been faster this morning you could have had a say in the decision,” she lightly teased, noticing Sansa’s slight look of disapproval. She gave Sansa a smile before turning to Petyr. “Do you think Lysa is awake yet, Petyr? Robin is itching to get to the pool, and he needs his bathing suit…”

Petyr gave a short laugh. “Awake, maybe, but conscious enough to let you in and get Robin ready? Probably not. You know Lysa,” his mouth was half curved in a smile, his tone light-hearted - but there was a hint of scorn as well. “I’m pretty much done here, I’ll take him… as long as you’re alright being the last one here, Sansa?”

“Of course! Of course, go,” Sansa replied. He had phrased it carefully in front of her mother but she knew that he was asking her permission. “I’ll see you all there.”

Petyr gave her a last smile before rounding up a jubilant Robin, and heading outside. “Don’t take too long, sweetie,” Cat said with a wink, before following them out the door. Sansa didn’t want to waste a single moment – she set herself to eating the breakfast Petyr had prepared for her as fast as she could.

 

Back in her cabin, Sansa tried to use the small mirror above the sink to admire her bathing suit. It was bright red, a bikini cut as daring as she thought she could get away with on a family vacation, and one that she and Petyr had picked out together (now _that’s_ a completely different story). She loved it, and she couldn’t wait to wear it around Petyr.

“Please, stop looking at yourself and tell me that you’re almost ready to go,” Arya groaned, flopped across her bed.

“Yeah, almost, just let me put my hair up,” Sansa replied. “You don’t have to wait for me, I’ve said it a million times.”

“I thought you were _ready_ ,” Arya complained. “I didn’t realize your morning routine involved ten minutes of daily affirmations with your reflection.”

Sansa just laughed and ignored her, and was trying to decide the best way to wear her hair when there was a knock at their door. Arya jumped off the bed to answer it. “What are _you_ doing here?” she said haughtily. 

Sansa leaned back to get a look at their visitor and saw Petyr crossing the threshold, closing the door behind him. “Just coming to see why my two nieces are taking so long to get to the pool,” Petyr replied, giving Arya one of his trademark smirks. Then he looked over and saw Sansa in the washroom, her hands holding her hair up into a half-formed ponytail, and she saw his eyes grow dark with desire. He slowly sauntered over, fully admiring the bathing suit she was wearing, and stopped just outside. “You look fucking fantastic,” he growled.

Sansa felt herself blush under his attention, finding she couldn’t tear her gaze from his. “Petyr, what are you…?”

In a second, he closed this distance between them and covered her mouth with his, and Sansa felt like he was sucking all the air from her body. Her hands dropped her hair and wrapped around his shoulders, in his hair instead, as she gave in and let him dominate the kiss.

“What the FUCK!” Arya’s voice sounded like it was from a different plane of existence, and abruptly Petyr pulled away, leaving Sansa flushed and panting. She looked at him but he wasn’t looking at her – he was smirking once again, looking at Arya. Sansa followed his gaze, and found her sister in a rage, flabbergasted, and staring Petyr down. “Why… fucking hell… what do you think you’re…” suddenly Sansa found Arya’s glare targeted right at herself. “You _told_ him,” she hissed.

Sansa was stunned. “Of… of course I told him, Arya,” she said, trying to regain control of her breath. “What you said to me last night concerns both of us.”

“Well, I don’t have to put up with this shit. I’m telling, everyone, right now.”

“No, you aren’t,” Petyr said coolly, and both sisters turned to look at him. Sansa’s heart was pounding, either from that kiss or from fear, she wasn’t quite certain. Petyr took two slow steps closer to Arya. “I seem to recall that you told Sansa that you wouldn’t tell until the trip was over.”

Arya glared up at him. He wasn’t that much taller than her, but the close quarters made enough the small difference in height look intimidating. “What’s stopping me from breaking my word?”

Petyr’s mouth quirked in a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “Honour,” he almost whispered, his voice low. “Nobody likes a tattletale.”

Sansa watched in astonishment as two people she dearly loved duked it out. It was a battle of wits, and she wasn’t quite sure what the stakes were – but she did know Petyr had the upper hand here. Arya had always taken pride in being like her father, and older brother Jon, both of whom were honourable to fault.

They were frozen for a minute, the silence stretching between them, before Arya finally replied. “Fine,” she spat out. “I’ll keep my word. But how you can even speak about honour as if you knew what it meant is beyond me.”

She turned away, grabbing her pool bag off her bed and heading to the door. She paused as she reached it, and turned back, crossing her arms to glare at both of them once again. “I don’t see how waiting until the end of the trip will make a difference, though. You’re both fucked.”

“Thank the Gods for that,” Petyr replied, grinning wickedly. Arya scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him, before finally storming out the door.

Sansa exhaled, letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Was that really necessary, Petyr?” she asked, her voice exasperated.

“You said you wanted to take control of the situation,” he grinned, taking hold of her arms and kissing her on the forehead. “Well, there you have it - control. Maybe there were other ways but… that one was the most fun.” He winked.

“I think you have a very different definition of fun than most people,” she sighed, but a smile was beginning to return to her face. Now that the initial confrontation was over, she couldn’t help but laugh at the thrill he got from taking such massive risks. “Come on, we better get to the pool before people wonder why we’re the last ones to arrive everywhere.”

She grabbed her bag and started heading to the door. “Wait, Sansa, I think you forgot something.” She turned around, fully expecting him to pull her in for one last kiss, but when her eyes met his he looked surprisingly more mischievous. “I couldn’t help but notice your lack of sunscreen,” he grinned, holding up a bottle and waving it a little.

She sighed. “Petyr, I can put it on at the pool, we’re already late…”

He laughed and took her hand, leading her away from the door and towards her bed. “ _You_ can, but _I_ can’t,” he sat down and gently pulled her arm until she sat down beside him.

“Petyr…” she protested, but really it was becoming a lot more difficult to think of reasons why she should protest. She gasped as he put the first bit of sunscreen on her shoulder – it was cold, until he started rubbing, and then she felt warm and tingly all over.

 _Screw it_ , she thought. They could afford to be a little late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had so much else planned for this chapter, but it started getting too long and I realized it would be better to split it. So I'm posting this part now and hopefully the other scenes I had planned will be up fairly soon in another chapter!
> 
> I feel like making Arya the "bad guy" of this fic is just me taking out all my anger at show Arya XD But also, even though this fic is total fluff I like writing Petyr with some intense scenes, stirring up drama, and enjoying every second.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	5. The View

“We were wondering whether you guys were ever going to show at all!” Sansa grinned sheepishly at Robb’s teasing, and set her beach bag on one of the last remaining lounge chairs by the pool. She had tried to quietly join her family, thinking surely there was enough of them that she and Petyr hadn’t been missed yet, but of course more people also meant more observant eyes.

“Um, sorry,” Sansa replied, pulling her celebrity style sunglasses out of her bag to hide her eyes. “I, uh, forgot to pack sunscreen, so Pe… Uncle Petyr said I could borrow his…” 

“That explains the smell – still always mint, Petyr?” Cat interjected with a laugh. 

“Of course,” Petyr replied, a small smirk on his lips. Sansa turned to hide her surprise – she, of course, knew of Petyr’s fondness for mint (and where he had managed to source mint-scented sunscreen, she had no clue) but she’d had no idea that this fondness must have originated from when he was much younger, and he, Lysa, and her mother had grown up together in the same neighbourhood.

“Petyr!” Lysa’s voice cut over the racket of the pool, and Sansa watched Petyr’s face furrow in annoyance. But he turned to face his wife, who was standing on the first steps into the pool, with what little patience he could muster. 

“Yes, Lysa?”

“Robin wants to play a game,” Lysa demanded, as the poor boy slowly drifted away from the edge of the pool, held aloft only by his water wings behind her back.

Petyr sighed. “And your point is…?”

“Well, I thought you could play with him,” Lysa practically whined. Sansa found herself cringing and every word her aunt said – she had no idea how Petyr put up with her every day. “I don’t want to go in the pool, the chlorine is bad for my skin.”

“So is the sun, yet you are still… gracing everyone with that bikini," Petyr replied dryly. Robb snorted and even Bran hid a smile, until Cat lightly whacked her oldest son on the head with her sun hat.

Petyr’s wit was lost on Lysa though, and she was already out of the pool, preparing to recline on a lounge chair. Petyr went to crouch by the edge of the pool, and when he saw him Robin clumsily flopped in the water until he was headed towards his step-father. “Petyr! I want to play hide and seek!”

Petyr laughed. “Hmm… that’s not really a game two people can play, though,” he said affably. As much as he loathed Lysa, Sansa knew Petyr did care for Robin… and she loved watching this side of him, the warm side that kids adored. “Why don’t we see if we can find some other people to play with us?” Petyr turned back and briefly met Sansa’s eyes before they searched over the rest of the Starks. “Anyone up for a game of hide and seek?”

“Me! Me!” Rickon cried out. He turned to Cat and grabbed on to her leg. “Please can I play too?”

Cat chuckled in amusement. “I suppose the two of us are in,” she replied, smiling at Robin. Rickon was still learning how to swim and Cat had yet to let him in the pool unaccompanied. 

“I’ll play,” Sansa chimed in, earning herself a winning smile from Petyr. “What about you, Robb?” she turned to her brother. Out of all of her siblings, he loved entertaining kids the most.

Thankfully, Robb agreed. He put down his towel, and with big grin at Robin, cannonballed into the pool not far from where Robin was floating, to his younger cousin's delight.

“Careful!” Lysa screeched, while Robin laughed from the pool.

“Relax, Lysa,” Cat soothed. “Robb’s good with kids. Robin will be fine.”

Soon, their little crew was all in the pool, with Robin laying down the rules. “You can hide _anywhere_ in the pool, or around it,” he announced. “I’ll count to 60, and then you all have to go and hide.”

“60 seconds? That’s not very long, if we have the whole pool to hide in,” Petyr replied, with a hint of a smirk.

Robin looked thoughtful for a minute, and Rickon yelled, “100! Count to 100!”

“Yes. 100 seconds,” Robin declared. “And, the last one to be found is the winner!”

Robin closed his eyes, and started counting, and as he did everyone else began to scatter. Sansa swam to the back of the pool, looking over her shoulder once she’d reached the edge to gauge how much time she had left. Robin was still in the 20s, and she couldn’t see her mother or Robb anywhere. She looked around for inspiration, and finally decided to climb out to make her way to a waterfall that was in a separate, shallow extension of the pool – it seemed like a decent place to hide. But before she could walk over, she heard a whisper, saying her name… and of course it was Petyr, standing half-hidden behind a row of lounge chairs. When she found him he raised his eyebrows and gave a playful smile, tilting is head to indicate for her to join him.

Sansa grinned, and felt a rush of butterflies in her stomach – was he really so bold? – and with a last look around to make sure no one was watching, she walked towards him. To her surprise, though, when she got near, he turned away and started heading for the pool exit. He looked back to make sure she was following, and noting her look of confusion, grinned darkly. 

He led her away from the pool, to the nearby cabins – and Sansa began to shiver, wearing just her bathing suit. “Petyr… where are we going?” 

Petyr just turned and winked at her, before he reached a staircase and began to climb up. She huffed – surely he wasn’t just leading her to back to their cabins? – but followed him anyways.

To her continued surprise, though, he didn’t stop at their floor, but kept going up. “Petyr – seriously, where are we going?” she asked again, wondering how long they had before their families would begin to suspect that their disappearance was more than just stellar hiding skills.

He chuckled. “Relax, sweetling. I just want to show you something.”

“Just – does it have to be right _now_?”

“The longer Robin gets to be in charge of finding people, the happier he’ll be,” Petyr replied with a grin, and she knew he was right, in a sense. Robin was probably having a great time, and if anyone else was finding it suspicious that they were so well hidden, they would probably hide their concerns to avoid spoiling his fun as long as possible.

Sansa sighed, resigning herself to playing along, but also feeling a growing sense of curiosity and excitement as she wondered what Petyr had in store.

The top of the stairs opened up, and she realized that they had reached the top cabin deck – she looked up at the sky, an almost electric blue, soaring over them unimpeded by walls or ceilings. 

“Are we even supposed to be up here?” she asked softly, tearing her gaze away to find him again.

He gave her a secretive smile. “That’s what I wanted to show you.” He turned, and that’s when she noticed the cabin door, the only one on this level. Petyr pulled out a key from his shorts pocket and Sansa watched, stunned, as he opened the door, standing aside and gesturing for her to enter ahead of him.

Sansa immediately knew that this was no ordinary cabin. Her first impression was one of space, so different from the cramped quarters she shared a few levels below with her sister. Here, there was actually room to walk around, and a separate sitting area, in addition to a large bed that had space on either side, rather than being crunched against the wall. While the rest of the ship certainly wasn’t shabby, everything in this suite screamed luxury and fashion, with a sophisticated colour scheme of greys and midnight blue and everything gleaming, from the chrome finishings on the sink of the mini bar to the satin duvet that lay atop the bed.

But her gaze was drawn beyond all that, to the massive windows that lined the wall at the back – and, she realized, extended into the ceiling to become a skylight that arched overhead. She walked over, and looked out at what seemed like the entire ocean stretched out in front of her, only ending when it finally touched the sky on the horizon. They were right at the front of the ship, and looking down, she could see a couple of stories below them was the pool where she and Petyr had left their families behind.

“What do you think?” Petyr’s voice was low in her ear, as he came up behind her and ran his has across her shoulders, down her arms. 

Sansa struggled to find the words. “I… don’t understand… how…?”

“I knew we’d need our own space to… _escape_ ,” he whispered, and his hands began to roam more freely across her body. Suddenly the chill from running around in a wet bathing suit was a distant memory.

“So… you booked another room?” she gasped when his lips grazed her shoulder, and felt his nod as his nose brushed against her neck. “But Petyr… this room… it must be so expensive….” 

He laughed, and his breath raised goosebumps on her skin. “Sweetling, you should know by now I don’t settle for anything less.”

Abruptly, he leaned into her back, and instinctively she reached out a hand to brace herself against the window. Petyr moaned, a vibration she felt all down her spine, and he stretched out a hand to splay on top of hers, while the other travelled down her hip to slide under her bikini, pulling down until the skimpy piece of fabric fell around her ankles.

Sansa suddenly felt very conscious of the crowd far below, a crowd which included her family, and a wave of anxiety rippled through her. She pushed back, but Petyr’s body was too heavy, and he only pushed her forward again.

“Petyr… the pool,” feeling lightheaded, she felt his cock slide between her legs, rubbing up against her wetness there.

The pressure from his body lightened up just a fraction, and his free hand ran up her arm. “Don’t worry,” he soothed, “they can’t see us.” He placed gentle kisses on the back of her neck and rubbed her shoulder until she began to relax again.

“They’re still looking for us,” she moaned, almost as an afterthought, as he started to lean back into her body, teasing her with his cock rubbing against her, but never entering.

Petyr growled, and suddenly pulling her hips towards him, thrust inside her – she let out a loud groan which only continued into a series of incoherent gasps and moans as he rhythmically pumped inside her. His pace was relentless, and Sansa yelled his name along with a string of curses and praises, trying to keep up but eventually feeling her body submit to his furious pounding. 

He was pushing her over the edge, her muscles beginning to tense up, and he sensed it, pulling her closer. “They’ll never find us,” he growled in her ear, and he let out a deep moan as she began to clench around him. Sansa felt both their bodies convulse in tandem, before they went limp, panting. Slowly, Petyr pulled back, and helped her to stand up straight again.

Sansa turned and gave Petyr a long kiss, before resting her head on his shoulder, still catching her breath.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming of doing that,” Petyr chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

“Well, I hope it was worth the wait,” she grinned. She lifted her head and he leaned forward for another quick kiss. Sansa smiled at him, before looking around. “I’m, hoping there’s somewhere to clean up in here…?”

He smirked, and led her by the hand to the washroom. He made to follow her inside, but Sansa placed her hands on his chest to keep in in the doorway, and giggled.

“Oh, and to answer your earlier question?” she slyly smiled at him and gave him one last peck on the lips. “I love it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! I'd had this chapter pretty much written when I last posted, but didn't find the time to type it up until today. Hope it was worth the wait!

**Author's Note:**

> Seven hells, that summary sounds like something off a harlequinn novel. Maybe that's what this is. Who knows! I'm just here to bring you some feel-good fluff, sexy teasing and smut, and more hilarious shenanigans of Petyr and Sansa trying to hide their relationship from the rest of the Stark/Baelish family. I've got a couple chapters written already, so the goal is, new chapters up once a week :) Hope you enjoy!


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